Prenatal Exposure To Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals May Increase Risk for Breast Cancer

Fetuses exposed to chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the womb may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer in their adulthood, according to a study published in the current issue of Hormones and Cancer.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are substances in the environment that interfere with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism or action resulting in adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. These chemicals are designed, produced and marketed largely for specific industrial purposes.

The study, led by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, showed exposure of pregnant mice to BPA or DES led to an increase in the level of a protein called EZH2 in their offspring. The protein controls the expression of all genes; higher EZH2 levels are associated with an increased risk of breast canccer in humans.

"We have demonstrated a novel mechanism by which endocrine-disrupting chemicals regulate developmental programming in the breast," said Taylor. "This study generates important safety concerns about exposures to environmental endocrine disruptors such as BPA and suggests a potential need to monitor women exposed to these chemicals for the development of breast lesions as adults."

Other researchers working on the study include Leo Doherty, Jason Bromer, Yuping Zhou and Tamir Aldad of the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Eatiing Broccoli Can Help Prevent Breast Cancer

According to the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, A compound derived from broccoli could help prevent or treat breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells. Sulfurophane is a compound in broccoli that has been found to target and kill cancer stem cells and prevented new tumors from growing.

"Sulforaphane has been studied previously for its effects on cancer, but this study shows that its benefit is in inhibiting the breast cancer stem cells. This new insight suggests the potential of sulforaphane or broccoli extract to prevent or treat cancer by targeting the critical cancer stem cells," says study author Duxin Sun, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the U-M College of Pharmacy and a researcher with the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In the current study, mice were injected with varying concentrations of sulforaphane from the broccoli extract. Measures showed a marked decrease in the cancer stem cell population after treatment with sulforaphane, with little effect on the normal cells. Further, cancer cells from mice treated with sulforaphane were unable to generate new tumors.

The concentrations of sulforaphane used in the study were higher than what can be achieved by eating broccoli or broccoli sprouts. Prior research suggests the concentrations needed to impact cancer can be absorbed by the body from the broccoli extract, but side effects are not known. While the extract is available in capsule form as a supplement, concentrations are unregulated and will vary.

Researchers are currently developing a method to extract and preserve sulforaphane and will be developing a clinical trial to test sulforaphane as a prevention and treatment for breast cancer.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187475.php

A Substance in Breast Milk Can Kill Cancer Cells

Researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg revealed that a substance in breast milk can actually kill cancer cells. The special substance, known as HAMLET (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumour cells), had actually been discovered years ago, but it is only now that it can be tested on humans. When patients with cancer of the bladder were treated with this substance, their urine contained dead cancer cells. This gave rise to the hope and possibility that HAMLET could be used as a cancer treatment.

So far, it appears that HAMLET can kill up to 40 different kinds of cancer cells. Research is being done to study its effect on skin cancer, tumours in the mucous membranes, and brain tumours. Importantly, HAMLET kills only cancer cells and does not affect healthy cells.

Freezing the Spread of Breast Cancer, Literally

In the United States, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and one woman will die from the disease every 13 minutes. We are all aware of the most common treatments for breast cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy. However, researchers have recently found success with a new technique that is likely to to become more maintstream in the near future. What if we could freeze cancer? What if we could prevent cancerous cells from spreading to surrounding tissue? Well, there is cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a therapy in which a cancer-killing freeze is achieved by delivering a very low temperature gas to the tumor using needle-like probes.

A study was conducted using 13 patients with breast cancer with tumor sizes ranging from 0.5 cm to 5.8 cm, the average tumor being 1.7 cm. "Using local anesthesia with mild sedation, an average of three probes per tumor were guided to the tumor site using either ultrasound alone or ultrasound with computed tomography (CT) imaging. The probes produced "ice balls" ranging in size from 2 centimeters to 10 centimeters, depending on the size of the targeted tumor."

As a result, patients reported minimal pain and were very happy about the cosmetic results. "All 13 of the women who had the procedure were alive with no clinical evidence of cancer recurrence an average of 18 months, and up to five years, after having the procedure." However, cure rates are still unknown, and much larger studies need to be conducted before cryotherapy is considered and administered as an effective treatment.

Read more at WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20100316/breast-cancer-treated-by-freezing-tumors